And Five Were Foolish

"And Five Were Foolish" by Dornford Yates is a novel written in the early 20th century. The narrative revolves around Sarah Vulliamy and her complicated relationship with her fiancé Virgil Pardoner, as they find themselves bound by an eccentric will that requires them to marry in order to inherit a significant fortune. This situation leads them into humorous and awkward social dynamics as they navigate love, obligation, and societal expectations in the backdrop of wealth and class. The opening of the book introduces Sarah Vulliamy and Virgil Pardoner having a lively conversation over champagne, which evolves into a discussion about their impending engagement. They discover that their inheritance from the late James Tantamount is contingent on their marriage to each other, despite both harboring feelings for others—Sarah for George Fulke and Virgil for June Townshend. The tone is lighthearted and comedic, with Sarah's determination to resist pressure to marry Virgil mingling with their banter about feelings, societal expectations, and the absurdity of their predicament. As the scene unfolds, we grasp the complexity of their situation and the intriguing dynamics that promise further twists in their unfolding story. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Cecil William Mercer, known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous, some thrillers, were best-sellers during the Interwar Period.